Guzmania plant named ‘Switch’

ABSTRACT

Guzmania  cultivar ‘Switch’ is solid, tenable, small-sized and long lasting with a compound-shaped purple-red inflorescence.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new, distinct and stable plant ofGuzmania hybrid, hereinafter referred to as ‘Switch’. The presentinvention relates to seeds which are Guzmania cultivar ‘Switch’, as wellas plants and plant parts produced from these seeds which have all themorphological and physiological characteristics of the Guzmania cultivar‘Switch’. The present invention also relates to methods for producingthese seeds and plants. Furthermore, the present invention relates to amethod of producing progeny Guzmania plants by crossing Guzmaniacultivar ‘Switch’, as the male or female parent, with another Guzmaniaplant and selecting progeny.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is a hybrid Guzmania. The male or pollen parent was aselection of Guzmania wittmacki and the female or seed parent was aselection of Guzmania lingulata. Guzmania is a member of theBromeliaceae family. Guzmania is predominantly epiphytic with a fewterrestrial species and is native to the tropics. For the most part,species vary in diameter from 7 or 8 inches to 3 or 4 feet and haverosettes of glossy, smooth-edged leaves.

Floral bracts of Guzmania frequently have brilliant colors and may lastfor many months. The range of colors for Guzmania is generally fromyellow through orange but may also include flame red and red-purple.White or yellow, tubular, three-petalled flowers may also appear on astem or within the leaf rosette but are usually short-lived.

Guzmania may be advantageously grown as pot plants for greenhouse orhome use. Typically, the plants are shaded from direct sunlight. Duringthe spring to autumn period, the central vase-like part of the leafrosette is normally filled with water.

Guzmania is native to tropical America. Leaves of Guzmania are usuallyformed as basal rosettes which are stiff and entire and in severalvertical ranks. Guzmania plants have terminal spikes or panicles whichare often bracted with petals united in a tube about as long as thecalyx. The ovary is superior and the seeds plumose.

Asexual propagation of Guzmania is frequently done through the use oftissue culture practices. Propagation can also be from offshoots whichcan be detached from the mother plant and grown in an appropriate soilor bark mixture.

Methods for cultivation and crossing of Guzmania are well known. For adetailed discussion, reference is made to the following publications,which are incorporated herein by reference: Benzing, David H., THEBIOLOGY OF THE BROMELIADS, Mad River Press, Inc., Eureka (1980); Zimmer,Karl, BROMELIEN, Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin (1986); and Rauh, Werner,BROMELIEN, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (1981).

A Guzmania inbred is produced by brother/sister crossing over severalgenerations to produce a genetically homozygous plant selection. Ahybrid cultivar is produced by crossing two genetically distinct inbredlines, collecting seeds produced by the cross, and germinating seedsso-produced to make hybrid plants. The hybrid seeds and plants producedby this method are uniform with respect to their morphological andphysiological characteristics.

A need exists for a greater variety of Guzmania cultivars withattractive ornamental features. Additionally, a need exists foradditional Guzmania hybrid cultivars that can be easily propagated byseed. The new cultivar was developed through a controlled breedingprogram and exhibits unique, desirable and stable characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention provides Guzmania plant selections that are solid,tenable, small-sized and long-lasting. The instant invention alsoprovides Guzmania plant selections with a compound-shaped purple-redinflorescence.

These and other objectives have been achieved in accordance with thepresent invention which provides a new cultivar ‘Switch’ that is aproduct of a planned breeding program undertaken by the inventors inAssendelft, The Netherlands, in 1996. The male or pollen parent was aselection of Guzmania wittmacki identified by Code No. 93517036. Thefemale or seed parent was a selection of Guzmania lingulata identifiedby Code No. 93517146.

Both parents have a sufficient degree of homozygosity such that theprogeny of the cross are genetically and phenotypically uniform. Thecultivar ‘Switch’ therefore can be produced by sexual reproduction bycrossing 93517036×93517146 to produce a population of progeny plants,each of which has the combination of characteristics as herein disclosedfor the new cultivar.

Seeds which are cultivar ‘Switch’ are produced by crossing93517036×93517146 and are deposited with the American Type CultureCollection, 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209 (ATCCPatent Deposit Designation No. PTA-4824). 2500 seeds were deposited withthe ATCC on Nov. 26, 2002.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to seeds which produce Guzmania cultivar‘Switch’. This invention also relates to Guzmania plants, and partsthereof, having all the physiological and morphological characteristicsof Guzmania cultivar ‘Switch’. This invention relates to a plantproduced from seeds which are Guzmania cultivar ‘Switch’. This inventionalso relates to plant parts, such as pollen, seeds or inflorescenceproduced by Guzmania cultivar ‘Switch’.

This invention relates to a method of producing seed which are Guzmaniacultivar ‘Switch’, by crossing Guzmania wittmacki selection 93517036 asthe male parent with Guzmania lingulata selection 93517146 as the femaleparent and the reciprocate cross with 93517146 as the female parent and93517036 as the male parent and harvesting seeds produced from saidcrosses.

This invention also relates to a method of producing plants having allthe physiological and morphological characteristics of the Guzmaniacultivar ‘Switch’ comprising the steps of (a) crossing Guzmaniawittmacki selection 93517036 as the male parent with Guzmania lingulataselection 93517146 as the female parent; (b) harvesting seeds producedfrom said cross; and (c) producing plants from said harvested seeds.

The invention also relates to producing progeny plants from the cross ofGuzmania cultivar ‘Switch’, as the male or female parent, with anotherGuzmania plant, and selecting progeny plants from this cross.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The file contains at least two drawings executed in color. Copies ofthis patent with the color drawings will be provided by the Patent andTrademark Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

The first photographic drawing shows a whole plant, side view of theinflorescence and foliage of ‘Switch’, with colors being as true aspossible with illustrations of this type.

The second photographic drawing shows a close up, side view of theinflorescence of ‘Switch’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention was created by the inventors, Elly Bak andNicolaas D. M. Steur in 1993, and flowered for the first time in 1996 inAssendelft, The Netherlands.

This invention is directed to a Guzmania plant having all themorphological and physiological characteristics of the cultivar ‘Switch’produced from seeds which are the product of the cross of Guzmaniawittmacki selection 93517036 as the male parent with Guzmania lingulataselection 93517146 as the female parent. Both parents have a sufficientdegree of homozygosity such that the progeny of the cross were, andcontinue to be, phenotypically uniform. The variety ‘Switch’ thereforecan be produced by sexual reproduction by crossing 93517036×93517146 toproduce a population of progeny plants each of which has the combinationof characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar.

The variety ‘Switch’ can also be produced by asexually reproducingprogeny from the cross of 93517036×93517146 because the combination ofcharacteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar ‘Switch’ arefirmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexualreproduction. The selection comprising the new variety was chosen aftercommencement of flowering of the progeny in 1996 in Assendelft, TheNetherlands. Sexual propagation has demonstrated that the combination ofcharacteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar ‘Switch’, asobserved in Assendelft, The Netherlands, are firmly fixed and areretained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

‘Switch’ is particularly characterized by the following characteristics:

-   1. solid, tenable, small-sized growth habit in a funnel-form rosette    measuring approximately 55 cm in height when flowering;-   2. numerous leaves, each approximately 40 cm in length;-   3. approximately 10 scape bracts and 10 primary bracts;-   4. compound-shaped inflorescence;-   5. purple-red primary bracts, RHS 185A; and-   6. long-lasting habit.

‘Switch’ has not been tested under all available environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentalconditions such as temperature, light intensity, frequency offertilization, composition of fertilizer, acetylene treatment, daylength and humidity without, however, any change in the genotype of thenew cultivar.

For example, substantial differences in plant height and diameter, andthe number of leaves, can result depending on the size of the plant atthe time flowering is induced by acetylene treatment. Since treatmentwith acetylene to induce flowering disrupts normal watering andfertilization regimens, acetylene treatment of relatively smaller plantsadversely affects the growth of the plant.

The new cultivar flowers approximately 17 weeks after treatment withAcetylene.

The closest comparison cultivar is Guzmania ‘Ostara’ (unpatented). Themost important difference between ‘Switch’ and ‘Ostara’ is the color ofthe inflorescence. ‘Switch’ has a purple-red inflorescence, while‘Ostara’ has an orange-red inflorescence.

In the following description, color references are made to the RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart (RHS). The following traits have beenrepeatedly observed and in combination distinguish ‘Switch’ as a new anddistinct cultivar. The following observations, measurements anddescriptions were taken of ‘Switch’ plants grown under Dutch greenhouseconditions in Assendelft, The Netherlands.

PLANT: Form: Funnel form rosette Height: Approximately 55 cm high(flowering) Diameter: Approximately 60 cm Growth habit: StemlessFOLIAGE: Size: Approximately 40 cm in length, 3-4 cm in width Shape:Lanceolate Surface texture: Smooth Color: Upperside: between RHS 147 A;underside: RHS 137 A (color can vary depending on environmentalconditions) Apex: Acute FLOWERS: Borne: Erect stalks Shape of Compoundinflorescence: Size of the Approximately 20 cm in length; inflorescence:approximately 23-25 cm in diameter Individual petals: Approximately 6 cmin length; .5 cm in width; color RHS 17 A Number of Approximately 80flowers per inflorescence: Lastingness of the A full grown plant canproduce an inflorescence inflorescence: containing approximately 80flowers and can bloom anytime throughout the year beginningapproximately 17 weeks after natural induction or induction withacetylene. Each flower blooms for one day and the total length ofblooming of the whole inflorescence is 6 weeks. BRACTS: Scape Bract:Approximately 20 cm (lowest) to approximately 12 cm just below theprimary bracts in length; approximate 3.5-4 cm in width; approximately10 in number; lanceolate shape; smooth texture; margin entire; acuteapex Primary Bract: Approximately 12 cm (lowest) to approximately 4 cmat the top in length; approximately 2.5-3.5 cm in width; approximately10 in number; lanceolate shape; smooth texture; margin entire; acuteapex; color RHS 185 A Floral Bract: Disposed within the inflorescence

1. A Guzmania plant designated cultivar ‘Switch’ obtained from seedhaving American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Patent DepositDesignation No. PTA-4824.
 2. Guzmania seed having ATCC Patent DepositDesignation No. PTA-4824.
 3. Plant parts obtained from the Guzmaniaplant of claim
 1. 4. A method of producing Guzmania progeny plantcomprising of the steps of (a) crossing Guzmania cultivar ‘Switch’produced from seed accorded ATCC Patent Deposit Designation No. PTA-4824as a male or female parent with another Guzmania plant and (b) selectingprogeny.